A series of tough votes in Congress

Lawmakers weigh in on Medicare, Planned Parenthood cuts.

Charlie Dent (DONNA FISHER, THE MORNING…)

April 15, 2011|By Colby Itkowitz, CALL WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON — — As U.S. lawmakers return home this weekend for a two-week respite from Washington, they'll face their constituents for the first time since casting politically charged votes on cutting Medicare, defunding Planned Parenthood and spending for the rest of 2011.

Republicans such as U.S. Reps. Charlie Dent, Lou Barletta and Mike Fitzpatrick will be defending their support for a budget plan that includes privatizing Medicare. Anti-abortion Democrats, like U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, may be asked to explain why they supported federal funding for Planned Parenthood. And deficit-hawk Republicans like U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey voted against a bill keeping the government funded.

All but four House Republicans united Friday behind a budget blueprint written by Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan that aims to balance the budget by 2022, cut top individual and corporate tax rates, and replace the Medicare entitlement in 2022 with a government voucher to buy private insurance.

Democrats pledged to make the Medicare vote a top campaign issue in their effort to win back the House majority in 2012. New York Democratic Rep. Steve Israel, chairman of his party's campaign arm, said Democrats would go "district by district to hold Republicans accountable for ending Medicare."

Dent, who represents the Lehigh Valley, released a statement less than an hour after the vote, declaring the Medicare vote an assurance to seniors that future generations will have health coverage. "I am pleased the House has recognized its responsibility to develop solvent and sustainable safety net programs by implementing smart, gradual reforms," he said.

Republicans said without changes the program will go bankrupt. Democrats said the new system would cost future seniors more for the same coverage.

The House and Senate voted Thursday on whether to defund Planned Parenthood, a vote Republicans demanded because the clinics offer abortion services. The measure passed the Republican-controlled House but fell short in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Afterward Casey, an anti-abortion Catholic, became an immediate target of at least two anti-abortion groups. The Family Research Council and the Susan B. Anthony List released statements slamming Casey's vote. "Votes have consequences, especially for politicians who say one thing at home and do another in Washington when it comes to protecting life," said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser.

The senator's spokesman, Larry Smar, said Casey has always supported the Hyde Amendment, which restricts funding for abortions domestically, and the Helms Amendment, which restricts funding for them abroad. He defended Casey's vote, saying the federal funds that Planned Parenthood receives are for "breast and cervical cancer screening, annual physical examinations and primary medical care, as well as for family planning services that prevent unintended pregnancies."

Dent, a career supporter of abortion rights, was one of only five House Republicans to vote against defunding Planned Parenthood. He defends the clinic's health services for women.

Also Thursday, Congress passed a budget to pay for the government for the remaining six months of the 2011 fiscal year, cutting $38 billion in nondefense spending. The agreement to proceed with that specific bill stopped the government from shutting down a week ago. Every lawmaker from the area voted for the bill except Toomey, of Zionsville. He was one of 15 Senate Republicans to reject the compromise.